Summer Days
by Blue.Rose.Marcella
Summary: Out of middle school! What could be sweeter? There's an entire summer ahead of them. Starting with Ethan's fly summer pool party, this summer is unlike the rest: full of fun, surprises, and romance...But that's as far as I go...R/R!
1. The Last Day Of Middle School

**_A/N_**: Hey everybody, this is my first Lizzie McGuire fanfic, so be kind! R/R.  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own Lizzie McGuire or any of its characters.   
**Claimer**: I own Gordo's cousins and Charlene.   
**Summary**: The gang is out of middle school, and what could be sweeter? They have an entire summer ahead of them. They've got plans. Major plans. Starting with Ethan's fly summer pool party, in which Miranda and Lizzie will inevitably drag Gordo to. This summer is unlike the rest: it's a summer of fun, surprises, and romance...But that's as far as I go. R/R!  


**~Marcie~  
**  
~*~...*~*...~*~...*~*...~*~...*~*...~*~  
**Summer Days**  
~*~...*~*...~*~...*~*...~*~...*~*...~*~  
  


It was quiet. The lightbulb was beginning to dim significantly, slowly contributing to the drooping of his eyelids as he thumbed through page after page of his history book. The soft beam of illumination was playing tricks on his eyes, causing him to see words that weren't really there, or piece sentences that didn't exist. He rubbed them vigorously to keep them open. His history exam was tomorrow. The last day of their junior high career; then the summer would be here.   
He glanced at his clock. It read in bright red numbers, 1:03am. The simple realization of how late it actually was made him feel every bit more tired.   
"Just think, Gordo," he said to himself softly. "After tomorrow, you're free for three months. It's summer time. Approximately twelve weeks of the sun, the beach, and hanging out with your two best friends."   
Thoughts of such began to flood his easily-distracted mind...He could see himself, Miranda, and Lizzie all basking in the sunlight on the McGuire backporch, just sitting in the ultimately relaxing beach chairs and sipping lemonade, listening to music with the faint sounds of Matt arguing with his parents about his latest ambition in the background. There would be talks of high school, Kate, and...He shuddered. Ethan Craft. He could see it now. Miranda would comment on a party he was having, and Lizzie would squeal, and they'd both beg and plead and make puppy dog faces in hopes to coax Gordo into attending with them. He would give in, and therefore be subjected to a night of utter boredom, simply to please two teenage girls he just happened to be rather attached to as friends.   
"What a summer to look foreward to," he muttered to himself sarcastically. With the fantasies clearly out of the way, now, however, he had plenty of opportunity to concentrate on Washington in the Revolutionary War and the disasterous Boston Tea Party and the Intolerable Acts.   
"The..." Gordo yawned, growing so weary that he began to trail off between words, "...Quartering Act...Allowed any...British...soldier...to stay in any...colonist's home..." He yawned once again, and suddenly the words of the Revolutionary War were all a blur before his eyes, as they fluttered shut.   
~*~  
KNOCK KNOCK. "David! Wake up!"   
This interruption was a major disturbance to Gordo's well-deserved night of heavy slumber. "I'm up," he slurred. He didn't move. Then, with a sick smack of reality, he remembered his exam. Without opening his eyes, he snapped up his head, only to hit it on the long burnt-out desk lamp. "Ow!"  
"Are you all right, David?"  
"I'm fine," he called back, scrambling to his feet. In disgust, he realized he was still wearing his same clothes he had worn to school just yesterday. Who was he, Larry Tudgeman? He glanced at his clock. It was seven-thirty. School started in a half an hour.   
He rushed to his closet and tore open the door, nearly pulling it off its hinges, racing to gather clothes for his day.   
"Elizabeth will be here in about fifteen minutes, David," his mother called again. "Get a move on."  
This rushed Gordo even more. He grabbed the first clothes he saw (he didn't particularly care what he wore, as long as it was clean) and made a mad dash for the bathroom to jump in the shower.   
~*~  
Lizzie stood before the bathroom mirror, carefully tracing her lids with the eyeliner pencil posed delicately in her right hand.   
"Lizzie McGuire!" yelled Matt, popping up unexpectedly behind her. She gasped and went offcourse with her pencil, making a nice black path to her hairline.   
"Leave me alone, you little toad!" she snapped, making a swipe behind her to hit her brother.   
He popped up on her other side, holding a hairbrush in one hand like a microphone. "Tell me, Ms. McGuire, how do you feel about going to highschool, where you will be the scum of the Earth and lower on the foodchain than Lanny's pet rat?"  
"About the same as you'll feel in about ten seconds if you don't get that hairbrush out of my face," she warned.   
"Oh, sis, so hostile. How will I ever jumpstart my career as a news reporter if my own family refuses to recognize my true talents?"  
"It's kind of hard when you don't _have_ the talents!" she replied. "Now get out of here, I'm getting ready for school."   
"Such a temper. Us news reporters always get the backlash," he said with a sigh. And with that, he left the bathroom, leaving Lizzie to scrub away the black mess on her face that he had caused.   
"I can't wait until _he_ gets to high school," she muttered to herself. "Gordo, Miranda, and me will be seniors and we will show him no mercy."   
She had had thoughts about high school before. Mainly when Gordo had gone there for a day. He told them he'd sell them his elevator passes cheap. Thank God. She couldn't afford to spend ten bucks on an _elevator pass_. Good old Gordo.   
"Today's only the last day of eighth grade," she reminded herself, finishing up on her face. She smiled. "Although...It's no crime to look forward to the future..."  
"Lizzie! Are you almost ready?" called Jo from downastairs.   
"Yeah, mom, just gotta gloss." She ran the lip brush over her mouth and blotted, then closed the bottle. "All right, I'm coming." She opened the bathroom door and grabbed her stuff, rushing downstairs to see Matt at the table with a bowl of oatmeal, clearly ignoring it and instead making an attempt at interviewing his father on what he was reading in the newspaper.   
"Your breakfast is getting cold," Jo explained, gesturing to Lizzie's own bowl of oatmeal.   
"Eh," she muttered, "I think I'll pass, Mom. I'm running late as it is. I gotta go meet Gordo."   
"Well...All right..." said Jo in resignation, removing the bowl from the table.   
Lizzie felt immediately guilty for not appreciating her mother's consideration, and instead compensated with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you after school."  
This seemed to cheer Jo up just as well, as she sported a smile for her only daughter. "All right. Are Gordo and Miranda coming over?"  
"Of course, it's a last-day-of-school tradition," Lizzie replied. She slipped on her flowered sandals. "Later, Dad. Bye, Toad."   
"Goodbye, Your Nastiness," Matt replied. "So, Dad. The Sports Section seems to be a popular piece of news for you. Care to explain why?" He then thrust his unused spoon right _through_ the newspaper, and nearly up his father's nose.  
"Well, I most of the time like it in one piece," said Sam, examining the new hole that was now in his newspaper.   
"Sorry about that, Dad. A reporter's gotta do, what a reporter's gotta do. We go to any length to get a story."   
~*~  
DING DONG!  
Just in time, Gordo thought to himself, spitting out his toothpaste and rinsing his mouth. He grabbed his backpack, stumbled into his shoes, and skidded into the door.   
"Hey Gordo, you ready to go?" asked Lizzie, tucking her hair behind her ear in efforts to make herself look perfect for the big day.   
"As I'll ever be." He called goodbyes to his parents, who replied in a similar manner, and was out the door with Lizzie. "Did you study for the history final?"  
Lizzie scoffed. "Did I study. Gordo, honestly, what do you take me for? I mean, did I _study_? What good student wouldn't? I mean--"  
"I take that as a no?" he deadpanned.  
"Yeah, basically," she agreed. "What about you? Wait, why am I asking?"   
"Of course, of course," he beamed. "A full mind is a healthy mind."  
"Fell asleep at the books again, didn't you?" she deadpanned this time.   
"Like a baby," he agreed in defeat.   
"There's Miranda," said Lizzie as they approached the corner where they were to meet their third friend. She waved excitedly to her best friend, who returned the gesture.   
"Hey, Lizzie, nice outfit, Ethan's sure to notice that skirt!" Miranda chirped.  
"Really? You think so?" asked Lizzie excitedly, smoothing down the material.   
"Ethan's so dumb he couldn't remember his middle name last month. Remember?" Gordo asked, in a mad attempt to drop the topic.   
Lizzie cringed in remembrance. She recalled Ethan scratching his head and looking at the teacher, dumbfounded, and saying, "My mid-wha?"  
"Anybody could make that mistake," argued Miranda.   
"Depends on the company you keep, I suppose," Gordo mocked. Miranda smacked him upside the head. "Ow."  
"That one was coming to you," Lizzie explained to Gordo. The three laughed good-naturedly.   
"I can't believe this is our last day of middle school," said Miranda in awe. "Do you realize what this means?"  
"High school next year," Lizzie quipped with a grin.   
"High school isn't as great as you may think," Gordo warned. "Remember, I went there for a day earlier in the year."  
"Don't rub it in," Miranda cringed.   
"But in high school, we will have upper classmen boys all around," Lizzie explained. "We won't even have to _look_ at Ethan Craft."  
"Yeah," said Miranda dazedly.   
"Oh, please," said Gordo. "Freshmen are considered the scum of the Earth; the upper classmen boys won't look at you until at least your sophomore year."  
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Gordo," said Lizzie. "And you sound like my brother."  
Gordo shuddered at the thought of immaturing about three years with one comment to Matt's level. "Thanks for catching me on that one."  
"No problem," said Lizzie, as they walked into the building.   
"Hello, _children_," said Kate, as she and her posse approached the trio. "I don't suppose you've been invited to Ethan's _cool_ summer pool party."   
Gordo could hardly believe his ears. A piece of his day dream about summer had come true. Now he would have to listen to Lizzie and Miranda talk about Ethan's party for at _least_ a week...And if they happened to get invited, for about a _month_.  
"Ethan's having a--?" Lizzie began.  
Miranda interrupted. "Of course we were invited. What makes you think we wouldn't be?" she challenged.  
"Well, seeing as it's a _cool_ party...I suppose we could mix social groups. Like, charity," said Claire.   
"Nice one," said Kate with a giggle, and highfived Claire, which they followed up with a snotty flip of their hair. With that, they walked off, shaking their behinds.   
"Miranda, Ethan didn't invite us," Lizzie argued in a panic. What if Ethan really didn't invite them? And Kate found out that they lied? Then their high school careers would be miserable. Kate would never let them live it down. She would never--  
"He will," said Miranda with an air of confidence.  
"Oh, and how can you gaurantee that?" Gordo questioned.   
"If he doesn't...We'll just show up," said Miranda, halfway stuttering to come up with a plan.   
"How will _that_ work?" Lizzie asked.   
"Listen, Ethan will have like, a billion people there. He's not gonna look at us and remember not inviting us."  
"She's got a point," said Gordo. "It won't even occur to him. He'll be too busy staring in the mirror and winking at his reflection to make sure it winks back."  
"Enough with the Dumb Ethan jokes," said Miranda, smacking Gordo upside the head again, in which he provided the same response he had last time she inflicted such pain.   
"So you're saying we just sneak in?" Lizzie asked, as they walked into their history class and took their respective seats.   
"Hey, you know what they say: All's fair in love and Ethan." At this, both girls squealed excitedly.   
"Oh, please," Gordo groaned. "It's going to be the longest summer of my life."   
~*~  
"That exam was hard," commented Miranda after school had gotten out. The three were seated at a table in the Digital Bean, waiting to be served.   
"I told you both you should have studied. I found it quite easy."  
"You would, Gordo," Lizzie replied. A waitress named Charlene approached the table, seemingly new to the job. But she was friendly. She took their orders (Lizzie had ordered a strawberry smoothie and onion rings; Miranda, a chocolate shake and fries; and Gordo, a big cold cut trio sandwich and a large Pepsi.)   
"This summer is going to be the best," said Miranda excitedly, folding her napkin into what appeared to be an oragami crane. "And the perfect start is Ethan's party."  
"Ethan this, Ethan that...Can we please change the subject?" pleaded Gordo.  
"What, getting jealous?" Lizzie teased.   
"No, just ill."   
"Here you are," said the waitress, having returned within a few minutes. She gave them their appropriate orders and walked off.   
"Looks like she's happier with this job than I was," Lizzie laughed.   
"At least somebody finds it enjoyable," Gordo agreed.   
"So what's the first thing you plan to do tomorrow on the first full day of summer vacation?" Miranda inquired.   
Lizzie grinned. "Well, I had in mind that I would wake up at around one in the afternoon, eat ice cream for breakfast, watch Boy Meets World in my pajamas, lay out in the backyard and get myself a tan, and then, go to the mall."   
Miranda squealed into her chocolate milkshake. "Sounds awesome. Gordo?"  
"I'm helping my Dad with some paperwork, then I'm babysitting my little cousins, Joshua and Jasmine."  
"Jasmine and Joshua are coming into town?" Lizzie demanded with glee. She was practically in love with Gordo's six-year old twin cousins.   
"Oh no, you're not coming over this time, McGuire. Last time I babysat the twins for the weekend, you only contributed to their mess."  
"Oh, please, I'll help this time," Lizzie begged. "Please Gordo? Pleeeease?"   
He sighed. "Fine, fine, I suppose. But you _have_ to help me."  
"I will, I promise."   
"Miranda?"  
"No can do," she said. "It's a mother/daughter bonding day for me and Mom. First we're going shopping, then we're going to a Day Spa, and then, finally, we're going out to dinner at Bosco's."   
"Oh, that sounds fun, Miranda. I hope you two have a good time," said Lizzie.   
"Trust me, we will. I'm looking forward to it."   
The three finished off their orders and cleaned up their spots, being sure to tip Charlene, and retreating into the outdoors again, where the sun beat down upon them like an oven. They walked to Lizzie's house, still talking of summer plans and such. Lizzie began to ponder over what she should bring Joshua and Jasmine the next day.   
"Jasmine would like that one doll...And Joshua wanted that monster truck he saw on TV over Spring Break...Yeah...I think I have enough money to pull that off..."  
"Jasmine and Joshua are trouble-makers," Gordo insisted. "Don't buy them anything. It only encourages them."  
"They are not trouble-makers," Lizzie argued. "They're precious."  
"Define 'precious'."   
As they approached her house, they heard voices and screams coming from the backyard. Exchanging puzzled looks, they made their way back there, through the sliding door and onto the porch, to see Matt in a suit, with a microphone, Lanny with a camera, Melina on the ground pretending to choke to death, and the cheesy sound effects of a siren blaring through the stereo by her head. "Here I am, star reporter Matt McGuire, at the accident site, where a mother purposely poisoned her own daughter!" Matt said excitedly, gesturing to Melina.  
"Your room?" Miranda deadpanned to Lizzie.  
"Uh, duh." The three walked back into the house and shut the door like nothing happened, and headed for the stairs.  
"Lizzie, what's that siren noise?" Sam asked, fixing himself a sandwich in the kitchen.  
"It's Matt being Matt," she replied, as they headed into Lizzie's room.   
Once up there, Gordo settled into the deskchair, where he usually sat, and Miranda collapsed onto Lizzie's neatly-made bed, staring up at the ceiling with a sigh of content. Lizzie sat on the end of the bed and picked up a teddy bear, setting it in her lap as something to play with.  
"So, what do we have on the activity menu today?" Miranda asked, sitting up.   
"Well, I figured we'd just chill outside and Mom could make us some lemonade, but, Matt's out there."  
Gordo rolled his eyes. He knew his friends too well; which would explain his predictions from the previous night beginning to come true.   
"Want to rent a movie?" Lizzie asked.  
Miranda jumped at the opportunity. "Yeah! I've been dying to see that new horror movie. You know, Fang 2?"   
"No way, no how. I hate werewolf movies," Gordo argued.   
Lizzie and Miranda glanced at each other and grinned, then turned back to Gordo. "What, chicken?"   
"What? No, of course not. I just think they're stupid. Especially the Fang movies. Did you know that the director is only nineteen? A complete amateur."  
"Bawk bawk, bawk bawk."   
"Oh, come up," Gordo argued. "Let's grow up, shall we? We're highschoolers now."  
"Please, Gordo, I want to watch Fang 2," Miranda pleaded.   
"Yeah, Gordo, c'mon," Lizzie agreed.  
Gordo gave an allmighty sigh of defeat. "Why I hang around with you two, I'm not sure I'll ever know."   


**To Be Continued  
**


	2. Twin Terrors And The Dairy Shack

**_A/N_**: Hey everybody, this is my first Lizzie McGuire fanfic, so be kind! R/R.  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own Lizzie McGuire or any of its characters.   
**Claimer**: I own Gordo's cousins and Charlene.   
**Summary**: The gang is out of middle school, and what could be sweeter? They have an entire summer ahead of them. They've got plans. Major plans. Starting with Ethan's fly summer pool party, in which Miranda and Lizzie will inevitably drag Gordo to. This summer is unlike the rest: it's a summer of fun, surprises, and romance...But that's as far as I go. R/R!  


**~Marcie~  
**  
~*~...*~*...~*~...*~*...~*~...*~*...~*~  
**Summer Days**  
~*~...*~*...~*~...*~*...~*~...*~*...~*~  
  


"Lanny, be sure and get a closeup of moi," Matt added, sporting a cheesy news reporter grin for the camera. Lanny nodded enthusiastically and did so.   
"All right, when do I get my brownies?" Melina demanded, hand upon her hip in impatience. "I'm doing your stupid film, now I want my payment."  
"All in good time, my dear, all in good time," Matt insisted. "What should our next news story be?"   
Lanny's face lit up.   
"You're right, Lanny! An escaped elephant from the circus would be great!" They both turned expectantly to Melina.  
It only took her a brief moment to catch on. "Oh, no, no way. Find another elephant."  
"Find another creep to make your brownies," Matt countered.   
"A deal's a deal," Melina said menacingly.  
"Exactly," Matt agreed, putting her in a difficult position. She thought it over.  
"Fine," she said stubbornly.   
"Hey, Toad, what's wrong? Camera break because of your face?" asked Lizzie as she, Miranda, and Gordo approached the house with a movie rental in hand.   
"No. It broke because it knew _you_ were coming."  
"Ha ha ha. This is me laughing," Lizzie said sarcastically.   
"I have footage of you while you were sleeping." He mimicked her: "'Oh, Ethan, darling, marry me!'" He then proceeded to make kissing noises. He went back to normal. "So, this is me laughing back at you. Ha. _Ha_."  
A look of horror spread over her face. "This is me fixing the world by murdering a toad!" she countered and began to chase him around the yard. Melina seemed anxious, while Lanny found the chase scene intriguing and rushed to get it on film.   
"C'mon, Lizzie, pounce on him!" Miranda cheered. Gordo elbowed her. "Ow."   
Finally, after about three minutes of cheering, filming, and chasing, the two groups separated and the trio headed into the house, Lizzie slightly out of breath.   
"Buy me an annoying little brother. I want that much exercise," Miranda laughed.   
"All right, let's watch the movie and get it over with," said Gordo. They settled down in the livingroom as Lizzie popped the tape in.   
"Wait!" Miranda cried. "We need movie snacks. We can't watch a movie without movie snacks."  
"Absolutely," Lizzie agreed. The two rushed into the kitchen, followed by a lagging Gordo, muttering under his breath about how much they really did eat on a regular basis.   
So they hung out in the kitchen for a few minutes while the popcorn popped, and the soda was poured, and went back into the livingroom to watch the movie.   
"This is so exciting," Miranda gushed. She had been waiting to see Fang 2, as they had heard so much about already. "Josh Hartnett--So hot!"  
"To _die_ for!" Lizzie agreed.   
Gordo couldn't help but shake his head in amusement. Most would wonder (including him) why he hung around with such love-struck, fashion-strung, food-obsessed, Ethan-worshipping teenage girls. He supposed he couldn't help it. As annoying and girly as they could become, they were his best friends, and they always would be.   
The anticipation of high school also brought fears and anxieties related to followings. Most people he knew, including Ethan, Kate, and Claire mainly, were only looking at the factor of getting cooler as they grew older. Gordo couldn't help but peer further into his future. What would become of him? What would become of the trio? He knew that he, himself, was college bound, looking already at Yale and Harvard. Lizzie and Miranda, as much as he loved them, would turn their noses up at such prestigious schools, and look for something more exciting and funfilled.   
He sometimes worried about their futures. He knew that, inevitably, they would be separated. He figured Miranda and Lizzie would keep in more touch than they would with him, the geeky college boy. And then he would focus on his career as a director, while Miranda would enter the world of singing, and Lizzie would excel as a fashion designer.   
He amused himself with an image of handcuffing Lizzie to one wrist and Miranda to the other, to keep the bond going strong. He knew in reality, however, that it was a crazy notion. What was bound to happen would happen, and he wasn't going to fight off his future.   
He was knocked from his reverie by screams from both Lizzie and Miranda. Lizzie had grabbed tightly onto his arm, and he felt the blood circulation being prevented. Had he really been in thought for that long? The movie was already reaching the climax. He half-considered saying something to Lizzie about the pain she was inflicting on his arm, but thought first off, that he needed to be masculine and take it like a man. And secondly, he didn't want to reject her fear. He was too nice a guy to do that.   
Finally, the movie was over, with a little more fear on the girls' faces and a little more popcorn on the floor than in their stomachs. Shaking, Lizzie stood up to retrieve the video and place it back in its box.   
"That was the best movie ever," Miranda said dazedly.   
Gordo scoffed. "You're scared out of your wits!"  
"It was a good movie, though," she argued.   
"All right, all right. I've got to get up early to help my dad with that psychiatrist stuff, and then wait for Jasmine and Joshua to arrive."  
"Oh, right," Lizzie remembered, temporarily forgetting her fear. "What time do you want me to come over?"  
"About noon. Can you handle getting up that early?"   
"I suppose. I'll miss Boy Meets World, but, I can save that for a different day. And how long will you need me there?"  
"Well, their parents and my parents are going out for the day, so they won't be home until probably about midnight. Again, you good with that?"  
"Peachy," Lizzie agreed. "I'll ask my parents and call you tomorrow."   
"All right." Gordo stood and stretched, slowly recognizing the feeling returning in his right arm. "I'll give you a call tonight."  
"Oh, right, about that, don't call tonight," said Miranda. "I'm gonna go right to sleep."   
"Okay," they agreed. Lizzie said her goodbyes to Gordo and Miranda as they left together, and shut the door. She slowly made her way up to her room, yawning incessantly, more exhausted than she thought she was. She settled into her bed and turned on some soothing music.   
Despite what Gordo thought, she had the same thing on her mind that he did. What _would_ happen to the group when the left high school? What would happen to _her_? Where did she plan on going in life?   
These questions and more plagued her mercilessly, occupying her thoughts for nearly a half an hour before she heard the phone ring. She reached for it. "Hello?"  
"Hey, Lizzie, didn't wake you up, did I?"  
"No, Gordo, I was just thinking."  
"Oh. About?"  
She opened her mouth to tell him, but felt slightly stupid, so instead said, "Ethan's party."  
He sighed. "You know, he's not as cool as everyone thinks."  
"You only say that because he's popular and you hate the popular kids," Lizzie argued with an expected sigh.   
"No, really. I just don't understand why you and Miranda are so obsessed with the guy. Besides being so-called "cute", he's got nothing."  
"He's sweet," Lizzie insisted.   
"Because he doesn't know how not to be," Gordo muttered.  
Lizzie sighed, and figured it was time to change the subject. "So I know what I'm going to bring Jasmine and Joshua tomorrow."  
"Please, Lizzie, don't bring them anything. It will only make them more of a pain in my neck for the day."  
"Oh, c'mon, it will make them behave more," she giggled. They talked for a few more hours before they both drifted off.   
~*~  
DING DONG.   
"Hold on," Gordo called. He made his way to the door, nearly tripping over Joshua chasing Jasmine with a squirt gun. "You guys, knock it off," he insisted, reaching the knob at last.   
"Jazz! Joshy!" Lizzie cried, rushing into the house with two giftbags, one blue and one pink. She immediately dropped to her knees next to the twins, who seemed equally excited to see her.  
"Excuse me," Gordo attempted to cut in. To no avail; he was ignored. They began to peruse the bags excitedly, as Lizzie watched in appreciation.   
"Hello?"  
"Oh, hey, Gordo," said Lizzie distractedly.   
"You're going to spoil those kids..."  
"Nonsense, there's no such thing as spoiling my cousins."  
"They're not _your_ cousins!" Gordo said in exasperation. Again, he no longer existed. He sighed and decided to take advantage of this; he retreated into the livingroom and plopped down onto the sofa. If you're going to be ignored, you should do it in style. He flipped on the TV. It was a rerun of Survivor. He decided this was okay, and made an attempt at getting comfortable.   
"Gordo! Can you come here for a minute?"  
He groaned. When he was in the room, he didn't exist. The minute he left the room, he was needed. He turned the TV back off and stalked into the foyer, rather annoyed. "Yes, Your Highness?"  
"The twins want some ice cream."   
"Ice cream! Ice cream!" they chanted.  
"Absolutely not. The nearest ice cream place is over two blocks from here."   
"Cuzzy Gordo, please?" Jasmine begged, sticking out her bottom lip in a true puppy dog pout. He looked away, feeling obligated.   
"Yeah, Cuzzy Gordo, c'mon," Lizzie added. He looked at her in disbelief.   
"Lizzie, you're supposed to be helping me here."   
"I know. But I want ice cream, too."   
"Look, you three. There is no way I am walking all the way to the ice cream parlor to get you ice cream."  
~*~  
"I can't believe I'm walking all the way to the ice cream parlor to get them ice cream," Gordo muttered to himself, folding and refolding the piece of paper on which they had jotted down their requests. It wasn't a far walk, really, but he wasn't sure how he would ever get the ice cream home without it melting. Oh well, tough luck for the other three.  
He watched jealously as kids skated by on roller blades, and kids drove by in cars, blaring their radios, whooping in celebration of summer vacation. He wanted to whoop along with them, but there was nothing to cheer for. He was spending his day babysitting the Twin Terrors; and his best friend.   
Lizzie. He couldn't believe her. She was supposed to come over there to help him. She promised. She promised she wouldn't play games. And yet, she was. It wasn't so much that fact that he minded; but the fact that she swore something to him, and didn't care any longer.  
He looked at the sun longingly. What a waste of a day. He was stuck at home (or fetching ice cream) when he could have been working on his latest documentary about--well, he wasn't sure what it was about yet, but he was in the process of making that decision. His ambition was to be a director, not a babysitter. He longed for his camcorder and a good juicy story...  
He finally reached the Dairy Shack and approached the window, waiting to be served. A boy with sandy blond hair approached from the inside. "Can I take your order?" Gordo looked up. It was...Ethan Craft?! With a _job_?  
"How?" he wondered aloud.   
"Uh," began Ethan stupidly. "Well, it's like this...You tell me what you want to order, and stuff...Then I give you what you ordered--and stuff. Kinda nifty, eh?"   
Gordo raised an eyebrow in disbelief of this boy's stupidity. He was about to question, but shrugged it off. "Nevermind, Ethan. I'd like a--" he paused to look at the paper in his hands, "--a large vanilla cone, a large chocolate cone, and a large banana split: hold the cherries."   
"All right, man, have that for you in a sec." Ethan closed the window.   
Gordo leaned against the building, looking up at the sky. Even the stupid seagulls seemed to be enjoying the day more than he was. He would have given anything right then to sprout wings and take off in flight. Leave Lizzie to watch his stupid cousins. She seemed to enjoy it, anyway. And she seemed to enjoy stabbing her best friend in the back. Multiple times, ripping skin, tearing flesh--Gordo stopped his thoughts, feeling like he was getting a little carried away.  
"Hey, here's your order." He snapped back to reality and took the small case Ethan had placed the ice cream in. Luckily enough, it seemed to trap the cold inside, so that the ice cream wouldn't melt too easily. He paid Ethan respectively and began to walk away.   
"Hey, man, I'm having a party this weekend."   
Gordo stopped and looked at him. "Yeah, okay, and?"   
"And I was wondering if you could invite Lizzie for me. I wanted to ask her yesterday but I didn't see her around and I lost her phone number."   
Gordo's blood froze. He wanted Lizzie at the party?   
"What?"   
"Yeah, could you tell her I want her to come? Miranda, too. And if you want, you can go."   
Gordo couldn't believe his ears. "Yeah, I'll um, pass on that information."  
"Thanks, dude. Later."  
"Bye." Gordo began to walk away, feeling utterly disappointed. Now he would be forced to go to that stupid party. The minute he passed on the information to Lizzie, she would begin jumping for joy, and--  
But...What if he never _passed_ the information on? What if he conveniently forgot?  
"That would be wrong," he told himself sternly. However, despite his words, his thoughts contradicted. She would never be the wiser if he just happened not to say anything. And they would never have to go to the party. He could just convince Miranda that the sneaking in thing wouldn't work. Or, that he had heard through the grapevine that the party was cancelled. Yeah, that could work...  
"Stop it, Gordon, you're not going to do that to your friends," he told himself. But all the way home, he couldn't stop thinking about which to do. He finally approached the house, to find Lizzie and the twins running around the front yard and laughing. When they spotted him, all three nearly tackled him in grabs for the ice cream. They finally took it and began to eat it. When the twins had finished, they went right back to running around, while Lizzie settled into the grass beside Gordo, still working on her banana split. She smiled at him.   
"Having fun?"  
"Define 'fun'."   
"Oh, Gordo, stop being such a party pooper."  
"You promised me, Lizzie," he said harshly. "You told me you would help me. You said you wouldn't make it harder for me. I trusted you. I need your help with these two. But instead you just feel like letting me down, once again." Lizzie looked at him, a look of shock on her face, mixed with hurt. Gordo abandoned her and went into the house, not wanting to discuss it any further.   
He made his way into the kitchen and to the fridge, feeling slightly guilty for how hard he was on her, but also feeling a strange satisfaction at sticking up for himself. He pulled out a soda, some cheese, lunchmeat, and mayonnaise, and began making what he felt was a well-deserved sandwich of the year.   
_You were too hard on her,_he thought to himself silently.   
_No you weren't. Don't let yourself be a doormat, Gordo.   
She's not doing it on purpose.  
Best friend or no best friend, Gordon, she broke a promise to you. Shows how much your feelings matter.   
_He tried to tune his inner arguments down to a dull roar in his head so he could eat his sandwich in peace. He settled down at the table and looked at the clock. Wow, two in the afternoon already. Only ten more hours of the terrors. Then again, they would be settling into bed before midnight. If he was so lucky.   
He heard the door open in the foyer. He heard excited voices, then retreating footsteps. Then he heard a single set of returning footsteps, and the door opened. "Hey, Gordo," said Lizzie softly. He ignored her. She bit her lower lip and approached the table, waiting for permission to sit down. He looked at her, providing no answer, and turned to take a drink of his soda. She cleared her throat uncomfortably, and took it upon herself to take her own seat. "Look, Gordo. I've been doing some thinking. About how I must have made you feel."  
"That's a new development," he snapped.   
She winced. "I guess I deserved that. Anyway, I think I owe you an apology. You're right. I did promise to help. And all I've been doing is making things harder for you. I really like your cousins, though. And I don't see them very often. And I talk to _you_ every day. So I guess I just figured that it was okay to forget about your feelings for a day. You know what I mean? I'm sorry. Forgive me?"   
He softened, sensing the sincerity on her face and in her voice. "Of course, McGuire. I know it wasn't intentional."   
She smiled. "Well, I got the twins to go into the livingroom and color peacefully."  
Gordo nearly choked on his sandwich. "You got them to settle down? Are you kidding me?"  
"No. Why?"   
"It's nearly impossible to get them to settle down. Major kudos, Lizzie." She beamed at her talent with kids.   
"So. You want to go watch Boy Meets World?" she inquired.   
He smiled back. "I'd love to, if it's with my best friend."   


**To Be Continued**


	3. The Perfect Woman

**Summer Days *~* Chapter Three: The Perfect Woman **

WRITTEN BY: MARCIE 

~*~ 

_**A/N:** Hey everybody, this is my first Lizzie McGuire fanfic, so be kind!  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Lizzie McGuire or any of its characters.  
**Claimer:** I own Gordo's cousins and Charlene.   
**Summary:** The gang is out of middle school, and what could be sweeter? They have an entire summer ahead of them. They've got plans. Major plans. Starting with Ethan's fly summer pool party, in which Miranda and Lizzie will inevitably drag Gordo to. This summer is unlike the rest: it's a summer of fun, surprises, and romance...But that's as far as I go. _

~*~...*~*...~*~...*~*...~*~...*~*...~*~ 

Summer Days 

~*~...*~*...~*~...*~*...~*~...*~*...~*~ 

Miranda grinned as she gazed out the car window at the surroundings of the building. It was encased by rows and rows of several beautiful exotic trees and flowers. It even contained a fountain in the middle of the walkway to the entrance. Mrs. Sanchez lowered the volume of their *NSYNC CD, looking to her daughter for her approval.  


"Well, sweetheart? What do you think?"  


"It's wonderful," Miranda breathed, unable to conjure any more intelligent words. She was completely rendered speechless. Juanita Sanchez smiled happily and turned the ignition of the car off.  


"Well then. Let's go on in."  


With two excited squeals, the mother and daughter exited the vehicle and began the trek towards the building. They had not needed to park far away, for it was a new complex and therefore not very well-known yet. Miranda gazed at the blooms they passed on their way, wishing to reach out and pluck them and insert them in a vase at home. However, she resisted the urge as they emerged through the doors and into the day spa in anticipation.  


~*~

  
The doorbell rang loudly throughout the McGuire household, distracting every member of the family from their current activity. However, none were anxious to answer.  


"Honey, can you get that?" Sam called from his workshop, painting a lawn gnome of perfection. He smiled in satisfaction as he dabbed a small twinkle into its eye. His only response was the loud revving sound of the vacuum cleaner in the next room. He sighed, concluding that his wife could not even hear him. "Matt! Answer the door!"  


Matt McGuire had been lazing around in the living room with Lanny and Melina. The three had been outdoors all day in the blazing sunlight, now flopped onto the couch recovering from heat exhaustion and trying to think of a method to cool off.  


"Your dad wants you to get the door," Melina muttered, her eyes drifting shut as she fanned herself with her hand. The doorbell sounded for a third time.  


"What door?" Matt asked cluelessly, on the verge of semi-consciousness. Melina summoned every inch of strength she had to smack the back of Matt's head; however, it ended up being nothing more than a tap. She was drained.  


"_MATT_!" called Sam once more.  


The youngest McGuire nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise from the loud tone. He rubbed his eyes and rose to his feet, retreating into the foyer as the doorbell rang once more.  


"Shut up, I'm coming," Matt muttered to no one in particular, shuffling over to the door and pulling it open. "Who are you?" he asked immediately, crinkling his nose at the sight of the visitor.  


"Yo, Mini Man, what's up?" asked the sandy blond teenager, lowering his hand for a high five. Matt merely raised an eyebrow. "Yo, it's me! Ethan! Remember?"  


"Oh...Ethan Craft," Matt recalled with a nod of his head. "Sorry, the heat's been damaging brain cells."  


"Is Lizzie around?" Ethan asked, looking over Matt's head into the house as if to discover her lurking around a corner.  


Matt shrugged and turned his head. "Lizzie! Are you home?" He paused for three seconds before saying, "No, she's not home."  


"Aw. Bummer." Ethan raked his hand through his shiny hair and dug into his pocket, uncovering a piece of paper and pen. Scribbling something down onto the paper in sloppy scrawl, he continued, "Can you give this to her for me? It's my number. She needs to call me."  


"Uh, sure," Matt consented, taking the paper from Ethan as he attempted to replace the cap on the pen. The cap was set between his upper lip and nose as he tilted his head back, trying to aim the writing utensil in the right direction. Matt raised an eyebrow and looked down at the paper. Underneath the number it read, _Ethan Kraft_. He spelled his own last name wrong. Matt shook his head sadly at the pitiful sight.  


"Uh...Yeah, she'll call you later, Ethan," he allowed, shutting the door before the odd teenage boy could get another word in. Matt shook his head, as if trying to figure out whether the previous had just happened or not. He placed the memo on the bulletin board in the kitchen, figuring Lizzie would find it all right in such an easy location. He then retreated back into the living room and collapsed on the couch once more between his friends.  


"Who was that?" Melina asked.  


Lanny looked at Matt quizzically.  


"Yeah, Lanny, that was Ethan Craft. I never thought I'd see the day where I met someone stupider than my sister."  


~*~

  
"Isn't this so much better?" Lizzie questioned happily, leaning back against the cushion of the couch and smiling contentedly. "Just relaxing? Not stressing out about little things? You know, you've never been very good at that, Gordo," she added with a soft smile, turning back to the television. Gordo sighed and rolled his eyes, nodding reluctantly.  


"Okay, okay, so I stress out a lot. It runs in my family. My parents are both psychiatrists. Meaning lots of paperwork. Meaning no time to relax."  


Lizzie laughed lightly. "No need to make it genetic, Gordo. You just need to chill out every once in a while. Sit in front of the TV. Watch a show with your best friend." She smiled at him, causing him to smile back genuinely.  


"Yeah," he agreed. He couldn't explain it, but watching the look of appreciation cast from her eyes sent chills up his spine. The good kind. Lizzie really was beautiful...  


_Wait. What am I _thinking_?!_  


"You know, I--"  


"Oh, this is the best part," Lizzie hissed, batting impatiently at Gordo to shut him up. He complied, averting his gaze reluctantly to the television to see what scene of Boy Meets World could possibly be more interesting than the conversation they were having.  


Shawn was on a date with Topanga at the school movie showing, while Cory, out of pure jealousy, had taken Trini. Trini and Shawn had left Cory and Topanga alone in the room to sort out their feelings properly.  


"If I could dream up the perfect woman...She wouldn't even come _close_ to you," Cory said, his words dripping with sincerity. Topanga smiled lightly at him as he continued. "Will you be my girlfriend?" In response, Topanga raised her lips up to his in an innocent kiss. Once they pulled away, Cory appeared both pleased and confused. "Yes or no?" he asked hopefully. To answer his question, Topanga kissed him once more.  


"Aw, that's so sweet," Lizzie gushed, her complete femininity on the edge of its seat. Gordo rolled his eyes and took the remote from her.  


"Oh, please, Lizzie...This is sickening," he said jokingly, thinking of another good show that would be playing simultaneously. "Oh, let's watch Big Brother," he decided anxiously. "I'll never get tired of that. You know, I could walk around with a camera and do a reality TV show," he continued, pressing the proper buttons.  


"Gordo!" Lizzie cried, throwing herself at him in attempts to wrestle the remote control away from him. He laughed good-naturedly and held it above her head. She scrambled to retrieve it, at last snatching it from his hold and keeping it out of his reach. He, too, attempted to retain the piece of technology, aiming upwards as she kept it out of obtainment. Gordo made one last effort to retrieve the remote, only to lose his balance and cause Lizzie to lose hers, too. They landed on the floor in a messy heap of limbs, laughing with mirth. At last, Gordo raised his head, about to stand up, only to find that Lizzie was looking at him. And she wasn't just looking at him, she was _looking_ at him. It reminded him of the way Topanga had looked at Cory as he said the comment about the perfect girl. But, no, that was ridiculous. Lizzie would never think of him in that way. It wasn't that he didn't want her to, but--  


_What am I thinking?_ he repeated to himself as he had done only moments before. Lizzie really _was_ a beautiful young woman, her eyes sparkling in his direction, her pouty lips only centimeters from his face. Resigning to his instincts, he began to lower his mouth towards hers.  


_THUNK!_  


He was bludgeoned in the head by the doll Lizzie had purchased for Jasmine.  


"Ow!" He rolled to the side a few feet from the impact, enough to allow true personal space bubbles between himself and Lizzie. Gordo raised his eyes to find the twins standing side-by-side, arms crossed, envious that Gordo was receiving all of Lizzie's attention. As though the previous incident had never occurred, she rose to her feet and brushed off her jeans, smiling heartily at the twins.  


"Wanna play a game, guys?" she asked excitedly. This seemed to compensate for her previous negligence as they giggled in agreement. The three retreated outside without another glance back into the room.  


Gordo lay on his back in the middle of the living room, nursing his aching head and staring at the ceiling fan turning softly and steadily above him. What had just happened? And where was the Aspirin when you needed it?  


**_THE END _**

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...Just kidding. 

TO BE CONTINUED... 


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